1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to mobile lottery play and, more specifically, to location and age verification for mobile lottery play.
2. Discussion of Related Art
While there are many variations, the basic lottery is a game of chance in which a player selects or is selected a set of numbers. A drawing is then performed to determine a set of winning numbers. Those players who had selected the winning numbers may be awarded a sum of money. Today, lottery games are often state run or administered on behalf of a state, although casinos and other private entities may administer lottery games where local laws permit.
Traditionally, the player would receive a paper ticket at the time of entry into the lottery game. The ticket would contain the numbers that the player selected or were otherwise assigned to the player. Because entry into the lottery would require the physical presence of the player to purchase the ticket, the age of the player could be verified at the point of sale, for example, by a clerk responsible for dispensing the lottery ticket. By verifying age, restrictions associated with lottery play may be adhered to.
In addition to verification of age, it is often important that the sale of the lottery ticket be performed within a particular jurisdiction. For example, where a lottery is administered by or on behalf of a state, the sale of the lottery tickets might have to be limited to the territory of that state. Under the traditional approach for lottery game entry that is performed in-person, a state need only ensure that their authorized points of sale are physically located within the jurisdiction of the state. Verification of the physical location of the player at the moment of entry is not a practical concern.
Lotteries need not be confined to a single jurisdiction. Today, multi jurisdiction lottery games such as POWERBALL and MEGA MILLIONS are available in which multiple jurisdictions within the United States participate in combined sweepstakes. In such games, the location where the player purchases the lottery ticket with in the set of combined jurisdictions may affect how revenue generated from the sale of the ticket is shared among the participating jurisdictions.
Currently, entry into lottery sweepstakes is not limited to in-person transactions in which paper tickets are purchased. Lottery play may be performed over electronic lines of communication such as the Internet. As mobile communications devices such as mobile phones and Internet-enabled tablets proliferate, the possibility exists to engage in lottery play from a mobile device.